Research by ReThink Recruitment

The number of UK IT Directors looking to hire IT staff still outweighs those looking to fire reveals research by ReThink Recruitment, the IT staffing company.

34% of IT Directors intend to increase IT staffing levels over the next year compared to 20% who plan to reduce their workforce. The other 46% of IT directors expect that they will keep a headcount freeze in place for the next year.

However, ReThink Recruitment cautions that this is a worse result than their poll taken six months ago just before the collapse of Lehman Brothers. At that point only 16% of IT directors anticipated having to lay-off IT staff and contractors.

The survey also reveals that 32% of IT Departments have already cut staff in the past 12 months.

Michael Bennett, Director, ReThink Recruitment, says: On balance IT Directors remain reasonably optimistic about taking on new staff and skills. Very few expect a repeat of the job cut carnage that followed the 2001/2 post dot com downturn. IT departments are much leaner now and many IT directors feel they have already cut down to the bone.

In fact the real and growing concern amongst many IT directors is that further cuts in their budgets will start to jeopardise the quality of work and support they provide to rest of the organisation that they serve.